Scale-Up of Selective STEM Specialty Schools: Effi

扩大选择性 STEM 专业学校的规模：Effi

• 批准号: 1221459
• 负责人: Steven Schneider
• 金额: $ 357.02万
• 依托单位: WestEd
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-09-01 至 2018-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1221459&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Scale; Up; Selective; STEM; Specialty

The desire to better empower high-ability STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students has contributed in the last two decades to a jump in the creation of selective STEM specialty high schools. These schools devote all of their attention to a student body comprised only of the most talented students, ones who are most likely to be able to learn the most demanding STEM content, reach their STEM learning potential, and pursue postsecondary STEM study and careers. However, there are mixed views on the role that selective STEM specialty schools play in achieving their mission. While commenting on what is known regarding education in the STEM disciplines, a recent National Research Council report entitled "Successful K-12 STEM Education" notes that "there are no systematic data that show whether the highly capable students who attend those schools would have been just as likely to pursue a STEM major or related career or make significant contributions to technology or science if they had attended another type of school." To address the research gap, this impact study addresses the question: Does gaining admission to a selective STEM specialty school improve students' academic success on the SAT, SAT II (Math Level 2), and Advanced Placement exams (Calculus AB, Chemistry, and Physics B)? Other portions of the investigation follow additional student outcomes, including: participation and success in STEM competitions; STEM publications; National Merit scholarships; intentions for postsecondary STEM education and STEM careers; and initial postsecondary STEM education.This study is based on the most rigorous possible design for the focal topic: a true experimental investigation of outcomes for students from many selective STEM specialty schools. The study is being accomplished through random assignment of equivalent treatment and control groups, and based on enough students to yield statistical power that can produce the most clear causal result possible. Researchers are recruiting all qualified students who apply for admission to 20 selective STEM specialty schools among the approximately 100 such schools currently in the United States. For the class entering in fall 2013, study schools are revising their routine selection process to one of assigning students for acceptance (treatment condition) or not (control condition) through random assignment of qualified applicants. Researchers, then, are following treatment students via their STEM schools and also intensively tracking all control students wherever they continue their secondary education. The study also investigates relative cost-effectiveness for educating high-achieving students in selective STEM schools versus educating them at other schools. Since there is an acute and growing U.S. shortage of STEM professionals and technicians, it is imperative for the nation's education system to ensure that talented STEM students are reaching their maximum potential and pursuing postsecondary STEM degree programs and careers. As one strategy increasingly being used to address this need is to educate talented STEM students in selective STEM specialty schools, this study is informing considerations of the cost/benefit of directing resources to support such schools.

在过去的二十年里，对更好地赋予高能力STEM(科学、技术、工程和数学)学生能力的渴望推动了选择性STEM专业高中的创建。这些学校将所有注意力放在只有最有才华的学生组成的学生群体中，这些学生最有可能学习要求最苛刻的STEM内容，发挥他们的STEM学习潜力，并从事中学后STEM学习和职业生涯。然而，对于选择性STEM专业学校在实现其使命方面所发挥的作用，人们有不同的看法。在评论关于STEM学科教育的已知情况时，美国国家研究委员会(National Research Council)最近发布的一份题为“成功的K-12 STEM教育”的报告指出，“没有系统的数据表明，如果就读于其他类型的学校，高能力的学生是否会同样有可能攻读STEM专业或相关职业，或者对技术或科学做出重大贡献。”为了解决研究差距，这项Impact研究解决了这样一个问题：被一所有选择性的STEM专业学校录取是否会提高学生在SAT、SAT II(数学2级)和高级分级考试(微积分AB、化学和物理B)中的学业成绩？调查的其他部分遵循了其他学生的结果，包括：参与和成功参加STEM比赛；STEM出版物；国家功勋奖学金；对大专STEM教育和STEM职业的意图；以及最初的大专STEM教育。这项研究基于对焦点主题最严格的设计：对许多精选STEM专业学校的学生的结果进行真实的实验调查。这项研究是通过随机分配相等的处理组和对照组来完成的，并基于足够多的学生来产生统计能力，从而尽可能地产生最明确的因果关系结果。研究人员正在招募所有符合条件的学生申请进入20所选择性STEM专业学校，目前美国约有100所这样的学校。对于2013年秋季入学的学生，学习学校正在修改他们的常规选择程序，通过随机分配合格的申请者来分配学生接受(治疗条件)或不分配(控制条件)。因此，研究人员正在通过STEM学校跟踪接受治疗的学生，并密切跟踪所有继续中学教育的对照学生。这项研究还调查了在有选择性的STEM学校教育优秀学生与在其他学校教育他们的相对成本效益。由于美国对STEM专业人员和技术人员的严重短缺且日益严重，美国教育系统必须确保有才华的STEM学生发挥最大潜力，攻读中学后STEM学位课程和职业生涯。随着一项越来越多的战略被用来满足这一需求，即在有选择的STEM专业学校培养有才华的STEM学生，这项研究正在考虑将资源用于支持这类学校的成本/收益。